Quarterback struggles for Minnesota will only help Seahawks
Nov 7, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) looks down during the second quarter against the Washington Redskins at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings have had issues at quarterback all season long and heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks means that whoever is snapping the ball has a very difficult task at hand.
This season, the Vikings have used three quarterbacks. Here are their stats for the 2013 season:
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Ponder is 115-for-179 (64.2%) for 1246 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
2) Matt Cassel
Cassel is 52-for-75 (69.3%) for 536 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
3) Josh Freeman
Freeman is 20-for-53 (37.7%) for 190 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
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On Sunday, against the Washington Redskins, Ponder seemed in control of the passing game as he was expected to be at the start of the year.
He was 17-for-21 for 174 yards and threw for a pair of touchdowns and an interception before leaving in the third quarter with a dislocated non-throwing shoulder.
However, Ponder did enough to help the Vikings earn a 34-27 victory, their second of the year.
His injury was a tough break for a quarterback that was expected to be the leader of a developing Vikings team and compliment Adrian Peterson’s running abilities.
Alas, how big a difference will Minnesota’s starting quarterback make when playing against one of the best secondaries in the NFL? Should the Seahawks be terribly concerned with which of the three quarterbacks gets a shot at taking down Seattle?
It is apparent that Adrian Peterson should be a bigger focus, a force that needs to be stopped on the ground — which has posed a problem in the past.
When the teams met last season at CenturyLink Field, Peterson ripped through the Seahawks defense, rushing for 182 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries.
He carried the team for much of the game, though the Seahawks eventually prevailed and won 30-20.
Ponder was the starting quarterback and had a game worth forgetting. He finished 11 of 22 for just 63 yards and an interception. He was also sacked four times.
His status is currently questionable for Sunday’s game against Seattle, but that could very well change in the next few days.
According to Ben Goessling, the Vikings reporter at ESPN.com, “it continues to look like Ponder will start on Sunday.”
Keep in mind, Sunday’s win was the first game Ponder had won as a starter this season.